Bought a gun that turned up stolen

[Randyzzz]

The two I have asked said no. they have no way of checking.

Interesting. I sold a gun a couple years back to a gun shop and they put the serial in the computer to check. And I've seen the same with a pawn shop. Maybe it's just an Oregon State thing.

 

[JohnL]

Interesting. I sold a gun a couple years back to a gun shop and they put the serial in the computer to check. And I've seen the same with a pawn shop. Maybe it's just an Oregon State thing.

Colorado and NM is my experience. Maybe a differing data base? I was referring to the NCIC as it is nationwide. Perhaps Oregon has a state data base?

 

[Crockett12]

Some years ago my brother, who lives in Utah, bought a rifle from the Utah state police that had been a confiscated rifle from someone who had committed some offense of the Utah state game laws! Years later he traded the rifle at his local gun store for another firearm! Sometime after that, he got a knock at his door from either the local sheriff or state police (I don't know which) but when they asked him where he got that rifle, he replied "I bought it from you"! He still had the paperwork so, case closed!

 

[pawncop]

In Texas, pawnshops and other FFL dealers do not have access to NCIC.

 

[kmoore]

Colorado and NM is my experience. Maybe a differing data base? I was referring to the NCIC as it is nationwide. Perhaps Oregon has a state data base?

Oregon has LEDS it's the statewide system. Nowadays when you do a LEDS check, it also does NCIC without asking. What's the difference between the 2 systems. Everything that is input into LEDS is also input into NCIC. LEDS usually returns faster and only searches Oregon crimes or data. NCIC will show data from every state that the crook has been arrested in is a good example.
So in Oregon when you buy a firearm, LEDS normally comes back first followed by any crime data on the person from all states.

 

[Toyman]

A person committed suicide in the county I lived in. The sheriff was a high school classmate of the widow and asked the sheriff to dispose of the guns the husband owned. The sheriff stopped to see me and advised the shops he contacted were offering very little and he knew the widow needed the money. I looked over the guns and made a much larger offer which the widow accepted.
The sheriff brought me the guns and told me I was getting 2 guns less than I offered to buy.
The sheriff ran all the guns and 2 Marlin lever actions rifles had been stolen from a big box store the previous December.
The sheriff and I laughed a little at the thought if he had not run the guns, I sold them and a problem had surfaced later.

 

[Watertender]

One thing I forgot to mention in my 1st post about my guns being stolen was that a couple of them didn't have serial numbers. They were lower end firearms which before the GCA of 1968 didn't require serial numbers. One was a single shot .22 rifle and the other was a single barrel shotgun. Even the Remington Nylon 66 .22 rifle didn't have serial numbers for the first several years of production.

 

[XP100]

For a few years in NY while I had my FFL a couple friends in the Sheriffs office could run serial numbers for me. then they had to have a case number to call a serial number in so I don't know how many stolen guns I bought and sold. If the new owner is never stopped by police and they run the number no one will ever know it was stolen

 

[JCK]

A friend of mine had a daughter who did the same thing. He had several high end rifles. A Remington M40 AMU rifle in.308, three Sako 75's, a David Sams Beretta M92 match pistol among others in his residence. He passed away unexpectedly and his estranged daughter from Texas raided his home along with her dope head boyfriend. She skeedadled back to Texas and the guns started showing up in pawnshops in the DFW area. Both were convicted felons and were scooped up by authorities.

He also had a walk-in vault at a now defunct local bank. He had over 75 assorted Winchester M12's, 101's and Browning high grade collectors shotguns, and his 1963 Colt M16 (I actually shot it once!). The bank president embezzled the entire collection including the M16. (A long story! It followed the friend home in his foot locker from Vietnam after he was wounded by a bouncing Betty mine in the Mountains while working as a Green Beret advisor. He was allowed by DOD and ATF to retain the gun!!! It had been written off as a battlefield loss).
Bank president is still in Federal Prison. Who knows what happened to the 4digit ser# M16 ???
He had written me into his will to get a Winchester M70 in .22Hornet. It too disappeared.

 

[Watertender]

^^^ Funeral raiders are scumbags. My current wife's uncle was a retired police officer and when he died his doper daughter cleaned out his gun cabinet and other valuables while the family was at the funeral home. By the time they got home she was long gone with the guns, the coin collection , the silverware and his train sets.

I am not sure if she was caught or they even filed a complaint.

 

[peachhead]

When the 4473 information is sent it is checked otherwise take it to the PD/SO. If a gun dealer has taken in a firearm for repair, they can make a call to the local PD/SO. Local cops are checking the same data base ATF or FBI checks. Just phoning ATF and saying your John Doe with FFL # 123456 is not secure. Yes some crooks may have access an FFL number and name.

When I enter 4473 info into NICS (when necessary) there is no firearm info.
As an FFL I have no way to access firearm info to check if it is stolen or not.

 

[kmoore]

One thing I forgot to mention in my 1st post about my guns being stolen was that a couple of them didn't have serial numbers. They were lower end firearms which before the GCA of 1968 didn't require serial numbers. One was a single shot .22 rifle and the other was a single barrel shotgun. Even the Remington Nylon 66 .22 rifle didn't have serial numbers for the first several years of production.

Thats true, many firearms that we own may never had a serial number. You can make up 1. Place it on the gun where it won't destroy the value. Of course, keep a record of that and all firearm serial numbers. As I stated earlier there is no standard numbering system for firearm serial numbers.

 

[kmoore]

Interesting. I sold a gun a couple years back to a gun shop and they put the serial in the computer to check. And I've seen the same with a pawn shop. Maybe it's just an Oregon State thing.

In Oregon their doing a state check. The number goes into the state police, they check it in LEDS the state system and that push of a button also sends a request to the FBI's NCIC data base. Here in Idaho, the FFL holder sends in the check of serial # and buyer information straight to NCIC. Regarding the background checks. NCIC normally comes back within a half an hour. Oregon takes weeks at times, that's the state taking it's time not the feds. The state has always had a limited number of positions of non sworn state workers doing the backgrounds. The position used to have a high turn over rate and posted openings was ongoing. (As in hard to fill they minimum needed personal).

 

[Old1215]

I believe gun shops/pawn shops have an online way to check almost immediately.

That's not true. There is no civilian access.

 

[Old1215]

any citizen can call any law enforcement agency and ask them to search if a gun has been reported stolen, I did it with a Ruger Mark II that I found on the side of the road.

I believe that is partly true. I was told by Leo they had to physically have the weapon present when running the check so they could confiscate it immediately if stolen. Wouldn't do it over the phone.

 

[GasGuzzler]

I used this website to post the one stolen from me. It's free to use but only operates on customer entered info. So basically if you out there find a deal on my stolen gun and enter the number, it will come up reported stolen because I entered it myself. Not foolproof but better than nothing.

Click here ---> HotGunz Stolen Gun Database

 

[el caminero]

^^^ Funeral raiders are scumbags. My current wife's uncle was a retired police officer and when he died his doper daughter cleaned out his gun cabinet and other valuables while the family was at the funeral home. By the time they got home she was long gone with the guns, the coin collection , the silverware and his train sets.

I am not sure if she was caught or they even filed a complaint.

Yeah, i was to get my uncle's texas ranger gun collection, but at the end we couldnt even find his lawyer, let alone the 49 ford woody.

 

[Watertender]

Yeah, i was to get my uncle's texas ranger gun collection, but at the end we couldnt even find his lawyer, let alone the 49 ford woody.

Every family has someone that will pull a stunt like that if they can get away with it. As far as most lawyers go, I would rather swim in a full septic tank than deal with them.

 

[el caminero]

Every family has someone that will pull a stunt like that if they can get away with it. As far as most lawyers go, I would rather swim in a full septic tank than deal with them.

The joke about theboat that sank in sharkin fested waters and only lawyers survived, has two punchlines; why did the lawyers get left alone?. I first heard, "professional courtesy" then later it was "there are some things even sharks wont eat"

 

[jkingrph]

In Texas, there is no theft unless the victim wants the case prosecuted. Most usually by the time the gun turns up the loss has already been covered by the victim's insurance company and if so it then would be up to them as to prosecute or not, and usually it's the not because it's not really worth their time....So no, many gun thefts never get prosecuted as thefts. Some may get reclassified as a burglary and prosecuted but only if the incident happened lately, not years ago....All that said, when this sort of thing happens, it's almost always the last buyer that is out the money. After it's all said and done, the cops keep the gun, and later it either gets put to their own use, gets auctioned off or gets destroyed.......

In a case like you are describing, being's that Texas is a community property state, what took place may very well have been viewed more as a civil matter, meaning that unless there had been a prior court action of some sort, the wife had much right to those guns as the husband. If I had of been taking the initial report, the first thing I would have asked would be why they had been moved and stored in another location to start with?...The second question would be how did the wife get her hands on them afterwards?...And somewhere down the line, I'd have been interviewing the bother concerning any part he may have had in the matter....In other words, the "theft" may not turn out to be a theft at all. Might well just be a civil matter, which to me would explain the Sheriff's remark about waiting on a decision from the DA.....just sayin'.

DGW

I am in Texas and had a firearm stolen 6-7 years ago. Sheriffs deputy responding to the call about the theft said because it was a firearm the theft was a felony. I did have a serial number recorded so if it ever shows up it will be known as stolen.